Physiology of Animal Behavior

Animal behavior has emerged as a multi and interdisciplinary science, encompassing such sciences as physiology, pathology, immunology, endocrinology, ecology, genetics, and neuroscience. Neuroethology merges into cellular biochemistry, physiology, and molecular genetics and also at the other end, the study of animal groups extends from the evolutionary theory to social ecology. External events as well as genetic factors affect the way the nervous system develops and ultimately the way the individual behaves later on as an adult. In most animals, behavior patterns reflect the complexity and functional organization of the nervous system. Behavior is a complex response mediated by the nervous system and is modulated by the endocrine system. The behavior of animals has been broadly classified and studied extensively under categories such as learning, feeding, sexual, maternal, and social behaviors. Understanding in depth these various types of animal behavior can help the researchers to identify various indicators which could serve as potential guidelines for assessing their well-being. Behavior is closely related to the welfare of the animal. Hence, behavioral studies help the veterinarians and animal scientists to identify the cause of any abnormal behavior and address it. Also as many clinical problems, animal training methods have a behavioral component, understanding the physiological basis of behavior will help the veterinarians and animal handlers to advocate better approaches towards the animals.